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A study in JAMA Psychiatry reported that psychological treatment for primary chronic back pain may provide pain relief. Participants were randomized to usual care or 4 weeks of pain reprocessing therapy—a telehealth session with a physician and 8 psychological treatment sessions—that instructed...
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Findings from the 2002 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey for adults aged 25 to 84 are discouraging. Pain prevalence—for headache/migraine, joint, low back, neck, facial/jaw pain—has gone up, with people reporting a 10% increase of pain in at least 1 area. That equals an additional 10.5...
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In an article published in American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers state that “Psychoactive substance use may be risky for adults with functional impairments.” Those who reported impairment were also more likely to report taking prescription opioids, tranquilizers/sedatives, and using...
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According to the World Health Organization, phantom limb pain is experienced by 50% to 80% of the more than 40 million amputees in the world, the largest group being military veterans. Thanks to a grant of over a million dollars, the Psychedelics and Health Research Initiative at UC San Diego will...
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Researchers reviewed 26 relevant studies of presurgical psychological predictors on the outcomes of knee or hip surgery and found that “there is evidential value for the effect of depression on pain intensity and function, anxiety on pain intensity and function, pain catastrophizing on pain...
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An article in the journal of Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience states that people who take over the counter acetaminophen feel less scared, less negative, and potentially more willing to do risky things. In multiple studies discussed, people were given acetaminophen or placebo, and asked...
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England’s NICE—the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence—is advising that other types of pain management/treatment should be utilized before common pain medications. Nonpharmacologic suggestions include exercise, psychotherapy, acupuncture, and electrical modalities. In its draft...
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From the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Abstract
Objective: Given changes in U.S. marijuana laws, attitudes, and use patterns, individuals with pain may be an emerging group at risk for nonmedical cannabis use and cannabis use disorder. The authors examined differences in the prevalence of...
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From the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science.
Highlights
• Psychological flexibility (PF) & self-compassion (SC) predict pain outcomes.
• In people with chronic pain (n=420) PF and SC variables were significantly correlated.
• SC predicted depression, pain interference and work and...
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This poster was presented at the 2020 annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.
Introduction: Many patients referred by pain physicians to pain psychology do not proceed to establish care with pain psychology. This study investigated factors that may influence whether chronic pain...